Active ingredients in edible coatings for tropical fruits

Alena Berková

Bachelor's thesis

Abstract:

Mangoes are one of the most economically important tropical fruits, mainly imported to Europe or the United States. Mangoes are climacteric fruits that are perishable. Consequently, long-distance transport can result in large losses, which can result in economic losses. Edible coatings could help to prolong shelf life and maintain the quality of the fruit. When an edible coating is applied, a thin barrier is formed on the surface of the fruit for the transfer of gases, moisture, and solutes. The loss of moisture is one of the most important factors in maintaining the quality and extending the shelf life of the fruit. For this reason, this work aimed to compare the application of different natural waxes as an edible coating to prevent fruit weight loss. The comparison was made between shellac 5.5 %, shellac 10.20 % and carnauba wax. Different application methods (dipping, spraying, and spreading) were also compared. Mangoes were stored at 9 °C for 30 days. All coatings showed much lower weight loss compared to the control samples. Control samples had a weight loss of 4.21 %. The best coating that had the lowest weight loss was shellac 5.5 %. At the end of the experiment, it had a loss of 2.60 %. Carnauba wax had the highest loss (3.57 %). Regarding the method of application, the spreading had the best results with a loss of 2.56 %. However, after drying, the coating was visible on the surface. A similar result to the spreading was measured for the spraying, which showed a 0.04 % higher weight loss than the spreading. Therefore, spraying with 5.5 % shellac could serve as a suitable method of applying an edible coating to mango fruit. Based on the data, the best variant for reducing weight loss was found to be 5.5 % shellac applied by spraying.

Keywords

Mangifera indica, shelf life, natural waxes, post-harvest losses, eco-friendly technology

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 16. 4. 2023

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 24. 5. 2023
• Supervisor: Ing. Olga Leuner, Ph.D.
• Reader: Iva Kučerová, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Bachelor programme:
Tropical Agriculture